Whew
Well, finally set up for the most part. Have LOTS of empty boxes currently sitting around, and several bags of packing paper laying about (they make you feel guilty here for not recycling... however don't have the volume to recycle large loads easily either). Still, have my phone and, finally, my internet connection all set up for here.
Things have been going fairly well so far. Been going to a special techniques class, teaching molecular biology lab stuff, which is proving to be very helpful and interesting. I have done a few of these things in the past on my project at Metro, but it is really nice to have a refresher before being thrown to the lions so to speak. There are some pretty cool and interesting people in the class also, which is nice given I really don't know anyone here as of yet.
I did go to what they call a Ren Fest just outside of Corvallis. It was kind of funny. Picture driving through the mountains, huge trees all around, a creek (what we in Colorado would call a river) is alongside the road in places. Now... you turn the corner, and see on a large, flat plain, what appears to be a circa dust bowl refugee camp. Tent after tent, carport after carport, all selling much the same stuff as the Colorado Ren Fest... just at kind of a K-mart feel to it. The jousting was pretty fun to watch and they did a very good job of it. Very entertaining. However the rest of the entertainment really seemed to be whoever they could con into standing in front of an audience and doing ... something, generally with a bad accent. The food is similar, had a venison sausage on a bun which was rather good, and something like large hot dog on a stick (not the glorious phallic creations at the Colorado Fest). They DID have some excellent root beer however.
Did this with the local IFGS group, who seem a pretty good bunch overall. I found it funny that almost all of them (or us I suppose as I did volunteer for stuff already) are very highly educated. Lots of PhD's, Masters, etc floating about. The kind of gamers that I tend to enjoy hanging out with as you are not eternally exposed to, 'This one time, at an IFGS game!' types of conversations. We then went out to dinner at a place that had some pretty good beer, the food I would not impose on anyone... but the beer was good.
Now, here is another thing that is taking some getting used to. It seems there are only 2 spices here in Oregon. Garlic, and hot sauce. Don't get me wrong, those are two of my favorite spices... however JUST those, and to make something 'spicy' involves those, or the secret ingrediant of 'black pepper' (which I DESPISE the taste of), and that is about it. At least I can cook well... Still, they have very good beer, root beer, wine, and cheese. I can live off the above (for a little while...)
That seems long enough for the next few days, I will leave off here so I can regale y'all with the misadventures of Drew in the Northwest at a later date.
Drew, pulling the Lewis and Clark thing... only by car... and going to grad school... and taking 4 years... ok, not much like Lewis and Clark but the thought is there!
Things have been going fairly well so far. Been going to a special techniques class, teaching molecular biology lab stuff, which is proving to be very helpful and interesting. I have done a few of these things in the past on my project at Metro, but it is really nice to have a refresher before being thrown to the lions so to speak. There are some pretty cool and interesting people in the class also, which is nice given I really don't know anyone here as of yet.
I did go to what they call a Ren Fest just outside of Corvallis. It was kind of funny. Picture driving through the mountains, huge trees all around, a creek (what we in Colorado would call a river) is alongside the road in places. Now... you turn the corner, and see on a large, flat plain, what appears to be a circa dust bowl refugee camp. Tent after tent, carport after carport, all selling much the same stuff as the Colorado Ren Fest... just at kind of a K-mart feel to it. The jousting was pretty fun to watch and they did a very good job of it. Very entertaining. However the rest of the entertainment really seemed to be whoever they could con into standing in front of an audience and doing ... something, generally with a bad accent. The food is similar, had a venison sausage on a bun which was rather good, and something like large hot dog on a stick (not the glorious phallic creations at the Colorado Fest). They DID have some excellent root beer however.
Did this with the local IFGS group, who seem a pretty good bunch overall. I found it funny that almost all of them (or us I suppose as I did volunteer for stuff already) are very highly educated. Lots of PhD's, Masters, etc floating about. The kind of gamers that I tend to enjoy hanging out with as you are not eternally exposed to, 'This one time, at an IFGS game!' types of conversations. We then went out to dinner at a place that had some pretty good beer, the food I would not impose on anyone... but the beer was good.
Now, here is another thing that is taking some getting used to. It seems there are only 2 spices here in Oregon. Garlic, and hot sauce. Don't get me wrong, those are two of my favorite spices... however JUST those, and to make something 'spicy' involves those, or the secret ingrediant of 'black pepper' (which I DESPISE the taste of), and that is about it. At least I can cook well... Still, they have very good beer, root beer, wine, and cheese. I can live off the above (for a little while...)
That seems long enough for the next few days, I will leave off here so I can regale y'all with the misadventures of Drew in the Northwest at a later date.
Drew, pulling the Lewis and Clark thing... only by car... and going to grad school... and taking 4 years... ok, not much like Lewis and Clark but the thought is there!